Bikram (Hot) Yoga: Heat for the body, soul and mind.

I like heat! A lot!

If you identify with this statement then keep on reading. If not then go on to the next article because this type of exercise is all about hot temperature. I have discovered Bikram Yoga for the first time when a Japanese friend took me to my first ever class of Yoga. Bikram Yoga is a hot Yoga, this means you exercises in a room with 20 other people or more at a temperature of around 36-38 degrees. It is a form of Yoga, which the founder, Bikram itself, claims that anyone can practice, no matter how old or how sick one is. There is for me some truth in this.

Why is this form of Yoga different?

Because of the heat, a person’s body becomes a lot more malleable and it is capable of things that normally one could not do, stretching and compressing beyond the normal limits. Nevertheless it is not so easy for everyone to stand the heat to begin with. Some people come once and never return again. The challenge of staying in a room with a fairly high temperature, for 90 minutes, scares a lot of people, which is understandable. This is why the main rule for the beginners in the first lesson is to stay in the room, even if they do not exercise; to stay and lie on their towels but not give up.

If you have passed this challenge, than the world of Bikram is becoming addictive. The Yoga movements combined with the sweat have an enormous purifying effect on your body and mind. Health problems get better, back pain eases off, the body starts to ask you for healthy pure food and you fell generally more at peace with yourself. Another positive aspect about hot yoga is that you can get to feel like at the beach every day. If you like it, even in the coldest winter you can put on your hot pants and brassiere and enjoy the heat that comes from inside.